Sundown
by RebeccaFoxx
Summary: When the TARDIS malfunctions and leaves The Doctor and Donna on a desert planet, the pair are quick to realize that something is amiss. The villagers are under attack from an alien threat, a mysterious girl roams the city looking for answers, and our two favorite time-travelers are thrown headfirst into a situation neither of them predicted...


"BIG LEVER, THIRD POSITION!" Roared The Doctor, flying around the console and trying his best not to panic. Everything HAD been going smoothly, the key words in that sentence being: Had Been. That, of corse, was BEFORE the lights had started flashing red and sparks had flown from the controls. Now, he was trying his best to land the TARDIS and to keep calm, which was proving to be rather difficult. He hauled his feet onto the controls, using one converse-clad foot to smash down a few buttons whilst shouting orders at Donna. The TARDIS shook violently, throwing his ginger-haired companion to the floor.

"What the heck is going on?!" She demanded, an accusing tone in her voice making it clear that she wasn't impressed with the situation she had been dragged into. The Doctor lifted his other foot to push a lever into the upwards position, nearly losing his balance.

"Do you want an honest answer or one that will make you feel better?" He could practically hear her roll her eyes.

"What do you think!?" The TARDIS sent another shower of sparks raining on the pair of them, singeing The Doctor's tie and nearly setting his hair alight.

"Well, if we're being completely honest-" He was cut off from his confession by the TARDIS giving a sudden lurch to the left, throwing him backward off the controls. He hit the mesh floor with a clang, but he was back on his feet in an instant, his fingers flying across a series of buttons. His ship was buzzing and humming angrily, as if to tell him: Look what you've done now you dolt!

"You gonna finish that thought spaceman?!" Snapped Donna as she brushed her hair out of her face. He opened his mouth to say something back when he was cut off yet again by his troublesome machine as it started to wheeze, it was clearly trying to land. The Doctor leapt at the console with a renewed vigor, hammering away at the technology as the TARDIS groaned and lurched.

"Donna! Yellow button!" His companion followed his order without question, deciding to keep her comments to herself which he appreciated. They were jarred once more before the familiar sound of the TARDIS landing filled their ears. The Doctor felt relief rush through him and he could tell just by looking that Donna felt the same way. They shared a nervous glance, but The Doctor's panicked look quickly melted into a lopsided grin.

"Any idea what's out there?"

"Not a clue!" He remarked cheerfully, intrigued by the sudden landing. Donna, on the other hand, wasn't impressed with the show of sparks and the rough landing.

"Is it dangerous?" The Doctor shot her a look that confirmed her suspicions, mainly that he didn't know.

"Could be!" The excitement in his voice didn't falter and she practically had to drag him away from the doors. He looked at her curiously, as if he couldn't understand why she didn't want to charge headlong into a dangerous situation.

"Shouldn't we at least TRY to see what's out there before we go outside?" The Doctor shot her his best puppy-dog eyes, but stopped short when she glared in return.

"Fine..." He mumbled, grudgingly swinging the monitor so they could take a look. He didn't really see why she was so nervous about what was out there. Sure, crash-landings weren't exactly the best, but it was always exciting to see where they wound up. It took a moment for the monitor to display a clear picture, but once it did, The Doctor started to have second-thoughts about where they had touched down. A crowd of people surrounded his box, all wearing baggy brown clothes that looked like they had come from medieval times. The TARDIS was chirping crossly, though if it was cross at him or the crowd, he didn't know. He chanced a look in Donna's direction and they made eye contact. He grinned and she shook her head.

"You're crazy." She stated flatly.

"Yeah, but don't you want to see what they want?" He wheedled. "C'mon, it'll be an adventure!" He caught her starting to smile, though she stopped when she noticed him looking.

"Alright, but if they sacrifice us or something, I'm blaming you."

"Deal." They strode over to the doors and The Doctor pushed them open with a flourish. "Allons-Y!" The crowd gasped when the pair came into the light, murmuring excitedly to one another. One of The Doctor's eyebrows rose and he surveyed the gathering with a critical eye. They had landed on a raised platform surrounded by dappled marble pillars stretching high above them into the sky, dark spots decorating the white in an intricate pattern. Sun filtered through the arches, and although outside of the building was blindingly bright, the inside seemed... Dark. Like when you stretch a nylon stocking over something. You can still see what's underneath, but it's darker than before. Someone in the crowd cleared their throat and The Doctor tore his gaze away from the stunning architecture to focus on the group. The man who spoke had dark hair that hung across his face at an odd angle, his equally dark eyes darting around nervously.

"A-Are you here to stop the attacks?" He asked, his voice more than a little shaky. Donna and The Doctor exchanged confused looks.

"What attacks?" That provoked more murmurs and skeptical looks from the surrounding bystanders.

"He doesn't know!"

"What about the woman?" Donna shot him a panicked glance.

"Well what makes you think that I would know?" Heads were shook in dissapproval, nobody filling them in on the what they meant by attacks.

"They don't know?" The man who had spoken to them before stood on the platform with them, waving his hands to draw the attention of the crowd.

"Please calm yourselves! Why would they land here if they didn't have the answers?" He turned to look at the pair of time travelers in a 'please-don't-screw-this-up' fashion. "I'll explain later." He whispered. The Doctor nodded slightly and let him take his arm. Donna was a little more hesitant, jerking her arm away when he made to take it. The man sighed, but didn't make any further attempts, leading The Doctor through the crowd, shouting explanations as he went. "They must be tired from the long journey, I'm going to get them settled." They wove through the people, dust circling their feet and swirling around them in a blurry haze of grit. Donna followed close on his heels, and she seemed unsure as to where to focus her gaze. The sunlight was blinding and The Doctor found himself squinting in order to see what was in front of him. The marble building was the only thing that could be remotely considered liveable, the rest of what once had been a civilization in ruins. Yellow tinged bricks were crumbling into nothingness, what once had been a proud city was now nothing more than sand. He realized with horror that the dust he was trudging through used to be someone's home, someone's life! He shuddered, deciding then and there that he would do all he could to help the scattered humans. Donna seemed to be in the same boat, speeding up to walk alongside him.

"It's really dusty here." She observed. The Doctor shook his head.

"That's not dust." He said quietly, attracting the attention of their guide.

"Quite right my friend." He murmured sadly. He pointed toward a cracked set of walls. "Used to be my house..." The Doctor sauntered over to it, placing a hand on the structure and putting the sonic between his teeth so he could get a better feel of the walls.

"'Ow lawngh hath i'thbingewnawn?" He furrowed his brow in confusion and The Doctor spat the sonic into his palm, rubbing it off on his overcoat. "I said, how long has this been going on?" He aimed the tool at the brick, trying to get a decent read on it.

"Four weeks." That surprised The Doctor, though he tried not to show it, not knowing of many things that could reduce a planet to dust in less than a month.

"What's your name?" Donna suddenly asked, startling the man. He was quick to regain his composure and he tried to make his appearance a little less frazzled.

"Leif." The Doctor, meanwhile, was in his own world as he checked out the readings, unable to get a good answer.

"Four weeks?" Leif nodded meekly.

"Only four."

"Yeah, you see, that doesn't make any sense." He leaned into the brick again, feeling it break under his weight. He hesitantly gave it a slight lick, frowning slightly as he did so. Donna pulled a face.

"Really spaceman?" The Doctor frowned again, pulling away and beginning to pace.

"Glass." He tapped at it thoughtfully, feeling the hardened substance under the grime. "It's been melted."

"Leif, what are, no sorry, were the bricks made of?" Questioned the Timelord, his gaze not leaving his sonic.

"Sand, sir. Solidified and packed together. But what does that have to do with the att-"

"I'm The Doctor, please don't call me sir." The tone of his voice indicated that he didn't feel particularly inclined to explain himself, which was something Donna had grown used to. He would tell her eventually, even if that meant waiting for them to leave the planet. He pulled out his glasses and tapped at the grime, making a few noises in the back of his throat as he worked, pausing every now and again to turn his attention to the sonic. Leif peered curiously at The Doctor, looking a little bit worried at what he was doing.

"We should really-" The Doctor whirled around and put a finger on his lips in an irritated fashion, causing Leif to snap his mouth shut.

"He's figuring something out, give him a minute or two. He's making the: I'm-incredibly-clever-and-everyone-should-shut-up-and-let-me-work face." The alien turned his attention back to the task at hand, though he couldn't quite tune out the conversation being held behind him.

"You can tell that much just by his face?" The Doctor bit his tongue in concentration, his eyebrows slowly knitting together, concern blossoming on his freckled features.

"Yep. And now..." She took a step closer to him. "Something's not right." The Doctor forced a laugh.

"That's an understatement." He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the huge amount of dust already coating his heavily gelled locks. Served him right for wanting it to stick up like he had been electrocuted. "It's been melted instantaneously, just like that!" He snapped his fingers, causing Leif to jump and look around nervously. "That sort of power is way beyond you,no offense." He added, though the last comment was directed more at Leif than Donna. His eyes scanned the side of the structure, looking for any detail he may have missed. It was hot to the touch and The Doctor found himself having to pull his hand away, his palm an angry red. He blew on it and shook his sore hand back and forth, watching the grains of sand unstick and join the rest of grit on the ground. The frown on his face deepened. Leif tapped him on the shoulder, and The Doctor was quick to notice the panicked expression Leif was wearing.

"We need to go, now!" He insisted, his gaze darting around like he expected something to jump out at any moment.

"And why is that?" He asked slowly, not sure what kind of answer to expect. Leif had just started to explain himself when the ground started to shake, throwing them to the ground. Leif let out a whine of fear, and when he spoke again, his voice was hysterical.

"RIGHT NOW, WE NEED TO LEAVE!" He took off running without giving the time travelers a second glance. They shared a glance before shooting off after him in hot pursuit, the Earth-shattering booms becoming louder and louder as they sprinted through the dust. Leif was shouting at them, though he was too quiet to hear over the noise. The Doctor could vaguely make out the shape of the man through the sand and put on a burst of speed when he ducked down an alleyway. He chanced a look back.

He could see Donna a few feet behind, her red hair being whipped by the wind as she tried her best to keep up, panting and coughing as she inhaled some of the dust. He gave her a slight wave before sprinting after Leif, the alleyway's curves and narrow walls making him feel a little lost. Still, he pressed onward, deciding that the alley had to end somewhere, and that somewhere was where their guide had gone. He suddenly slammed into a wall. Stepping back in a daze, he realized that the alley had ended, the sand preventing him from accurately judging the distance between him and the oncoming obstacle. He stuck his glasses atop his nose to try and keep some of the dirt out of his eyes, bending low and calling out.

"LEIF?!" No answer. His foot made contact with an uneven spot in the ground, nearly causing him to trip. He got down on his knees to examine it. It appeared to be a hatch, simple in design, a bit rusted around the edges. A quick scan from the sonic told him that it was locked. He began to pound on the door. "LEIF, IT'S US! OPEN THE DOOR!" He heard footsteps behind him and whirled around, half expecting some nightmarish creature to be upon him. Donna pulled up alongside him, breathing heavily.

"What's going on?" The Doctor tapped at the sonic, trying desperately to open the door.

"Leif's disappeared down the hatch and I can't get the blasted sonic to work!" His screwdriver sparked pitifully, sand clogging every indentation in the device, making it nearly impossible to use it for anything. He growled in frustration, shoving the device back in his pocket and trying to force the door open with his hands. Donna tried to help, but they were both coming to the terrifying realization that: A, the door was stuck, and B, they were trapped in a dead-end alleyway with at least one somewhat dangerous creature roaming free. A loud thud from behind caused Donna to stop dead in her tracks, The Doctor still working on the hatch.

"Doctor, what the hell is that." Her voice held a nervous quiver, she was clearly afraid of what they were about to face. The timelord slowly rose to his feet, making sure to move slowly. He didn't want to seem threatening, hoping with both his hearts that whatever it was, it would leave them alone. The shadow of the creature got closer and closer, and he could hear it scraping the sand around them. He stepped in front of Donna, trying to put on a brave face for her sake.

"Stay behind me." He whispered. He could feel her gripping his wrist from behind and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. It stepped in front of them, its bulky frame taking up his vision. It was at least seven feet tall, armored from head to toe in a tarnished ironlike substance. Two curly horns poked out the top of a helmet that looked to be permanently stuck to its head. It flexed its fingers and took another step closer, causing Donna to shrink back. A tinted visor blocked where its eyes would be, an emblem of the sun emblazoned on its chest in gold. Two spikes protruded from each shoulder and it was carrying a weapon that looked to be a piece of metal with spikes stuck all around the edges. Not something he would want to be hit with. The Doctor bounced on the balls of his feet, smiling when the creature seemed to notice him. "Hello! I'm The Doctor." It only grunted in response, lifting the huge weapon. "I wouldn't do that if I was you, which I'm not so I suppose you could, but it's a bad idea." Donna elbowed him in the ribs as if to tell him to shut his trap.

The creature, much to his dismay, didn't stop moving at his ramble. In fact, it seemed more determined than it had been earlier to skewer him and his companion with the weapon. The Doctor leapt back, holding Donna's wrist and forcing her to move with him as the weapon crashed down in front of them, enveloping them in a cloud of dust, shattering glass accompanying the motion along with the sizzling of sand as it was melted. The sound of footsteps from the fog caught the attention of the creature, and it swiveled its head to try and pinpoint where the noise was coming from. The Doctor suddenly made out the shape of a lone figure dashing toward the creature, brandishing a small knife. Before anyone had time to react, it had launched itself onto the head of the beast, delivering a kick to the side of its head. It swung the weapon again, staggering slightly as another blow sent it into the sandy wall. The Doctor's brown eyes met orbs of blue, the rest of the figure shrouded in brown scarves. _Camouflage..._ He realized. The person pulled the scarf off its head, revealing a head of long brown hair and a freckled face.

"Come with me if you want to live."


End file.
